An eye-opener for readers who think their brains have it all figured out (but look what’s telling them that, as the old joke...
A catalog of trickery, from optical illusions to scams and advertising.
“Without your brain” Brown writes, “you’ve got nothing.” But brains are inherently untrustworthy, he points out, going on in a lively mix of examples and easy activities (both hands-on and online) to fool not just eyes, but ears, nose, tongue, and touch. He uses the same approach to describe some of the ways magicians and con artists (with nods to the likes of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin and Bernie Madoff) play mind games on susceptible “marks.” Then, borrowing a term from Carl Sagan, he offers some general techniques for sharpening one’s “Baloney Detector” and closes with a hilariously lame rap: “To err is human that goes twice for your mind, / But I think you will find / It is wrongly maligned!” He ignores his own cautions by neglecting to offer proof for his answers to a credibility-testing true/false quiz (or any of his claims, for that matter), but his advice is generally savvy. Along with recurrent character “Brian D. Brain,” a pink, bespectacled blob with tiny arms and legs, Bornoff adds a cast of young cartoon humans—most but not all white—to the stock optical illusions.
An eye-opener for readers who think their brains have it all figured out (but look what’s telling them that, as the old joke goes). (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63322-158-1
Page Count: 83
Publisher: Moondance/Quarto
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The author of the award-winning Mummies & Their Mysteries (1993) returns to the intriguing subject of mummies. Here she explains how they are formed, how scientists use a variety of sophisticated techniques to learn about peoples and cultures of long ago, and some of the controversies surrounding the study of human remains. As with the previous title, the photographs presented here are striking, from the Inca child who appears on the front cover, to the mummy of Egyptian King Seti I, which appears on the back. Other photographs show some of the first tattoos, details of the Iceman, an Italian child who died of smallpox 400 years ago, the remains of light-haired Caucasian mummies from Xinjiang, China, and the well-preserved bodies of Philip Calvert, governor of Maryland from 1660 to 1661. The science is impressive, as carbon-14 dating, CT scans, DNA profiling, and X-rays are used to solve ancient mysteries. What were the people like? What did they eat? When did they die? What caused their death? What were the diseases they suffered? The author also discusses the controversies as different cultures clash over studying human remains. She mentions the Native American Graves Protection and Reparation Act which gives Native Americans control over native remains buried on government land or held in collections owned or funded by the government, and discusses former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s, efforts to house Egyptian mummies in a more dignified way. Though Wilcox discusses respect for the dead, she nonetheless pictures the controversial “Human Body Art” of German artist Gunther von Hagens, and “Sylvester,” a mummy used to greet customers in a shop in Seattle. Also pictured are the remains of an outlaw put on display for 65 years as a moneymaking exhibit for a funeral parlor. The author concludes with a glossary, extensive bibliography including Web sites, and a detailed index. Intriguing science, dramatically presented. (Nonfiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2000
ISBN: 1-57505-428-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
An introduction to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. The authors begin with how archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut, then move back 3,000 years to the time of Thutmosis I, who built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Finally they describe the building of the tomb of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II. The backward-forward narration is not always easy to follow, and the authors attribute emotions to the Pharaohs without citation. For example, “Thutmosis III was furious [with Hatshepsut]. He was especially annoyed that she planned to be buried in KV 20, the tomb of her father.” Since both these people lived 3,500 years ago, speculation on who was furious or annoyed should be used with extreme caution. And the tangled intrigue of Egyptian royalty is not easily sorted out in so brief a work. Throughout, though, there are spectacular photographs of ancient Egyptian artifacts, monuments, tomb paintings, jewels, and death masks that will appeal to young viewers. The photographs of the exposed mummies of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti I are compelling. More useful for the hauntingly beautiful photos than the text. (brief bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7223-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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